Kota: City police Friday arrested two persons with nearly 55 kg of poppy husk near the railway TTE rest house under Railway Colony Police Station area under ‘Operation Garudvyuh Phase-2’, a campaign targeting drug networks across the state.The arrested duo was identified as Gagandeep (20) and Akashdeep Singh (19), residents of Rampura Phul in Punjab‘s Bathinda district. Police recovered 27.5 kg of poppy husk from Gagandeep and 27.44 kg from Akashdeep. Three mobile phones were also seized.According to Kota city SP Tejaswani Gautam, a team from the Railway Colony Police Station, acting on specific information, spotted the two suspects with two trolley bags and two handbags near TTE rest house.The duo panicked on seeing the uniformed personnel, prompting the team to search them. Inspection of their luggage revealed a coarse, shell-like substance, which was confirmed as illegal poppy husk. Initial investigation revealed that the suspects, who are related to each other, sourced cheap poppy husk from the opium-producing Chittorgarh region. They intended to transport the contraband via train back to Bathinda to sell it at inflated prices.To evade detection, the duo disguised themselves as ordinary train passengers, packed the drugs like regular parcel inside their bags, and frequently altered their travel modes between buses and trains along the Chittorgarh-Kota-Punjab route, the SP City said.Police registered a case under Sections 8 and 15 of the NDPS Act, and further investigation in the matter was transferred to the Station House Officer of Bhimganjmandi.Railway Colony Police Station SHO Ramswroop said the station has registered eight NDPS cases so far this year, resulting in 14 arrests, including seven interstate smugglers.
